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D4vd transferred to same jail as Nick Reiner; both could face death penalty

Current News / News & Features /

D4vd, the singer now potentially facing the death penalty in the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, is being held at the same jail as Nick Reiner, who could meet the same fate after authorities say he killed his parents Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner in cold blood.

The 21-year-old “Romantic Homicide” singer, born David ...Read more

Wife of detained immigrant joins lawmakers in DC to push for immigration reform

Current News / News & Features /

Angela Della Valle, whose husband has been in immigration detention for nine months, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers and other immigrant families on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., to advocate for her husband’s release and raise awareness of a congressional bill that could allow her family to remain in the United States.

Since August, ...Read more

Mario Tama/Getty Images North America/TNS

US labels state-licensed marijuana as less dangerous drug

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department reclassified state-regulated marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a major shift that could dramatically increase legal cannabis sales in the coming years.

The directive signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche moved licensed marijuana products from Schedule I — the same federal category as ...Read more

Nassau County Police/TNS

Swastika at Long Island high school leads cops to explosives at 15-year-old boy's home

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NEW YORK — A swastika found scrawled on a bathroom wall at a Long Island high school led police to a cache of explosive chemicals in the teen vandal’s home purchased by the boy’s father, Nassau police said Thursday.

Now the 15-year-old Syosset resident and his 48-year-old father are facing a raft of charges stemming from the explosives ...Read more

Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Gov. Ron DeSantis mocks Rep. Jeffries over Florida redistricting threats

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Gov. Ron DeSantis is mocking Rep. Hakeem Jeffries over the Democratic leader’s threat to unleash “maximum war” if the Sunshine State seeks to redraw its congressional districts to benefit Republicans.

DeSantis jokingly offered to pay for the Brooklyn lawmaker to travel to Florida and campaign against the GOP as it considers a new map that...Read more

Pool/Getty Images North America/TNS

D4vd's cellphone contained 'child pornography,' prosecutor in LA murder case says

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LOS ANGELES — A cellphone belonging to David Anthony Burke, better known as the singer D4vd, contained “a significant amount of child pornography,” a prosecutor said in court Thursday morning.

Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman made the claim during a court proceeding to schedule a preliminary hearing on murder charges ...Read more

Lawmakers propose workaround after Colorado governor stops releasing long-term prisoners who committed youthful crime

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DENVER — Lawmakers want to give the Colorado State Parole Board the power to release prisoners who complete a specialized program for people who committed crimes as juveniles and young adults after Gov. Jared Polis stopped approving such releases.

Polis currently has the sole authority to release the program’s graduates from prison. But the...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

LA voters doubt government can improve housing affordability, poll finds

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LOS ANGELES — Voters in the city of Los Angeles overwhelmingly cite the high cost of housing and homelessness as serious problems, but lack confidence in the ability of local and state government to make the city more affordable.

Those findings come from a poll commissioned by the Los Angeles Business Council and released Thursday ahead of ...Read more

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US-Iran tensions build over Hormuz in absence of peace talks

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U.S. and Iran tensions grew over the Strait of Hormuz with both sides maintaining their blockades of the critical waterway, creating an uneasy standoff with no new peace talks on the horizon.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the U.S. Navy to shoot any boat putting mines in the strait, while the military said it intercepted two ...Read more

Dozens of Mexican Mafia members and associates arrested in SoCal operation, FBI says

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LOS ANGELES — The FBI and local authorities have arrested at least two dozen Mexican Mafia members and associates operating in Orange County, according to the federal agency.

In an early morning operation Thursday, FBI agents executed arrest warrants across Southern California in connection with federal indictments, according to Laura ...Read more

Getty Images/Getty Images North America/TNS

US-Iran tensions build over Hormuz in absence of peace talks

Current News / News & Features /

U.S. and Iran tensions grew over the Strait of Hormuz with both sides maintaining their blockades of the critical waterway, creating an uneasy standoff with no sign of peace talks on the horizon.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the U.S. Navy to shoot any boat putting mines in the strait, while the military said it intercepted ...Read more

Robin Buckson/The Detroit News/TNS

Michigan House's $75.8 billion budget makes cuts in most departments, slashes UM, MSU funding

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LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan House passed a nearly $75.8 billion annual spending plan late Wednesday for state departments, K-12 schools and post-secondary education institutions, ushering in a spending plan that makes steep cuts to the state's universities, increases per-pupil funding and shakes up the state's approach to economic ...Read more

US says it awaits Iran move on talks as Hormuz tension rises

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The U.S. said it’s waiting for a response from Iran before the warring sides can restart peace talks, with the impasse and worsening tension over the Strait of Hormuz causing energy prices to rise again.

U.S. President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire on Tuesday evening and there’s no deadline for its expiry, White House Press Secretary ...Read more

Ezra Acayan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Duterte heads for trial as ICC confirms drug war charges

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The International Criminal Court’s pre-trial chamber confirmed crimes against humanity charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, setting the stage for a full-blown trial.

Duterte is “criminally responsible” for alleged murder, the chamber said in a decision on Thursday, adding it also “commits Mr. Duterte to a Trial ...Read more

Space junk in orbit threatens GPS, satellites and Maryland jobs

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Satellite collisions in orbit could trigger a catastrophic global chain reaction, potentially halting space exploration, destroying GPS and raising risks for Maryland’s aerospace sector, which supports more than 45,000 jobs.

That’s the warning from space policy experts and aerospace industry officials.

“If there are one or two more ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

New COVID subvariant 'cicada' is on the rise. Here's what you need to know

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A highly mutated COVID-19 strain is circulating in California — raising concerns that disease activity could rise heading into the summer.

The emergence of the BA.3.2 strain, nicknamed "cicada," comes amid broader uneasiness about COVID vaccination rates among seniors — who are especially susceptible to the virus — and whether complacency...Read more

Brad Sauter/Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Forest Service plan to close research stations stokes fear as wildfire season approaches

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The U.S. Forest Service’s plan to close scores of research stations could threaten the nation’s wildfire readiness, many foresters fear, and erode decades of work to understand timber production, soil health, pests and diseases, watersheds and wildlife.

Late last month, the Forest Service announced plans to close 57 of its 77 research ...Read more

Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Scores of Forest Service plans could be upended after Boundary Waters mining vote

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Congress’ move to allow mining in a national forest near a wilderness area may have broad ramifications across the country.

The U.S. Senate voted April 16 to overturn a mining ban in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest, the headwaters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

By using an obscure tool known as the Congressional Review...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Republican lawmakers in 3 states want voters to alter or scrap Medicaid expansion

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In three conservative states — Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota — residents in recent years voted to amend their state constitutions to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Now Republican lawmakers in all three states want voters to alter or scrap those amendments in upcoming elections, setting the stage for legislators to roll...Read more

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'They did nothing': LA girl's death raises questions about darkest side of bullying at school

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LOS ANGELES — Sharon Zavaleta Chuquipa struggles to sleep in the room she shared with her younger sister. Every corner, decoration and toy holds devastating little reminders of the 12-year-old whose life was abruptly cut short.

The grief lies heavy — as does the guilt. At times, she says, it's almost too much to bear.

"I blame myself," she...Read more