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For Republican rivals, an unhappy task: Defend the man dominating them in the polls

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

In the topsy-turvy world of 2024 Republican politics, rivals of Donald Trump had been bracing for weeks for his second indictment with more dread than any sense of opportunity.After years of successive scandals, the immediate instincts of so many Republican voters are thoroughly ingrained. They snap to Trump’s defense, no matter how outrageous the charges are or who is making them — Democrats, the news media, local prosecutors or, now, federal ones. Donations surged after Trump’s first indictment in New York. And he consolidated support in the polls.Even prominent Republicans eager for the party to cast aside Trump in 2024 were concerned ahead of the indictment. They have long been exasperated by the immunity of Trump’s base to almost any attack or argument, swarming to neutralize any perceived political threat almost by habit.“There’s a lot of folks who just don’t buy any of it,” Gov. Chris Sununu, R-N.H., who announced this week that he would not run for president in 2024, said in...

Pac-12 recruiting: The top defensive prospects in the West in the class of 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a weekly dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports.The following report was provided to the Hotline on June 7 …It has long been stated that the Pac-12 must retain the best high school players in its footprint. That necessity has never been more glaring than after the 2023 NFL Draft, when the top two picks were from Southern California but played for Alabama (Bryce Young) and Ohio State (CJ Stroud) instead of Pac-12 schools.With the conference in transition — USC and UCLA are joining the Big Ten next summer — the following five defensive prospects in the high school class of 2024 are critically important to the Pac-12’s recruiting fortunes.(For the top offensive recruits in the class, go here.)1. DL Aydin Breland (Santa Ana, Calif.)High school: Mater Dei247 Sports national rating: Five stars; No. 2 defensive linemanComment: Breland is th...

Already in jail on November 2022 murder charge, East Bay man faces new accusation that he killed another man five months earlier

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

OAKLAND — Months after he was charged with killing a man who would posthumously be implicated in the rolling gun battle that killed 23-month-old Jasper Wu, a Pleasant Hill man has been implicated in a second homicide that police say appears to have been a targeted hit, court records show.Darious Smith, 33, was charged in late April with murder in the death of Richard Lamont Duncan III, 30, of Richmond. The charges were filed five months after Smith was charged with murder in the Nov. 4, 2022 killing of 34-year-old Keison “Keke” Lee, which authorities allege was a gang-related shooting.Smith, who has addresses listed in Pleasant Hill and Hayward, is listed in police records as a member of the San Francisco-based Chopper City gang, while Lee was allegedly part of a rival gang known as Eddy Rock. According to the charging documents in both cases, Duncan’s June 2022 killing stemmed from an argument at a party on Treasure Island, and Lee’s shooting was motiv...

Map of Yosemite reopenings: Yes for Highway 120 to the valley, no for Half Dome and Tioga Road

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

Yosemite National Park lifted some closures this week, though the heavy snowpack is delaying other openings for the summer season.Open (green numbers)1/ Big Oak Flat Road. The 4-mile stretch of Highway 120 between the Big Oak Flat entrance station and Merced Groves reopened at 7 a.m. Friday, June 9. It had suffered damage over the winter that required repair and prevented access to Yosemite Valley. Drivers should expect delays as the last stages of work continue.2/ Mariposa Grove shuttle. The shuttle is running as of Friday, June 9. Road damage had caused a delay of more than three weeks in the seasonal opening. Only people with disability placards can drive their own cars to the grove.3/ Yosemite Valley campgrounds. Lower Pines, North Pines and Housekeeping Camp have been reopened as flooding of the Merced River subsides. On Friday, June 9, the river was a foot below minor flood stage at both Happy Isles and Pohono Bridge, the U.S. Geological Survey said.Still closed (red numbers)1...

Arrest made in connection to Palo Alto armed robbery; accomplice still at large, police say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

PALO ALTO — One of two suspects alleged to have committed four Palo Alto auto burglaries and robbed a man at gunpoint in April was arrested on Wednesday, while another remained at large, police said.Around 6:30 p.m. on April 15, police responded to a report of an armed robbery on the 900 block of Bryant Street, near University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto, according to a news release. Police said a man in his 30s parked his vehicle in the driveway of his home and opened one of the rear doors to help a young relative out of the backseat when another vehicle pulled up and a passenger exited the vehicle to approach him.The suspect then pulled out a pistol, police said, and pointed it at the victim, demanding his property.The victim handed over his wristwatch and noticed the driver of the suspect vehicle also pointing a gun in his direction. The two suspects then drove away from the scene. The child was never addressed during the robbery and remained in the vehicle, police said.Follow-u...

Oakland-based podcaster brings empathy and incredible stories to the microphone

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

For the last decade, Whit Missildine has surrounded himself with unbelievable stories. He’s spoken to a man who was hunted by the Japanese mafia. A woman who left a cult and reinvented herself. And a man who, after losing his arm and leg, circumnavigated the globe on a sailboat.It’s all part of This is Actually Happening, Missildine’s weekly podcast, which has exploded in popularity since it was acquired by publishing company Wondery in 2020. Each episode features one individual telling an incredible story, utilizing a format that’s unique from most podcasts today: a single voice with no music, sound effects or back-and-forth conversation. Missildine spends between 15 to 20 hours editing each episode, and once he’s done, over 300,000 people tune into the episodes every week.The Oakland-based Missildine wasn’t always set on being a podcaster: after studying poetry in college, he obtained his PhD in social psychology in New York City. But through his graduate degree and far afte...

No lingering effects on soil after Martinez refinery dust release: officials

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

(KRON) -- Six months after a Martinez refinery released toxic dust into nearby neighborhoods, Contra Costa County health officials say there is no lingering effects to the soil.Officials who collected and analyzed the soil samples say the bigger risk was in the first hours and days after the toxic dust release occurred. The public is now being told it safe to eat vegetables from their gardens again after being advised not to consume them back in March. USPS letter carrier robbed by two armed suspects in Oakland During Thursday's committee meeting, it was made clear that some people are still upset over the toxic dust release and the refinery's failure to notify the county about it. "These results do not excuse the Martinez Refining Company for the lack of notification at the onset of this incident," said Matthew Kaufmann, Contra Costa County Deputy Health Director. "The lack of timely notification negated our ability as health officials to protect our community, including those mo...

Grains, Livstock mixed.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Grain futures were mixed Friday in early trading on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for Jul. rose 9.25 cents at $6.29 a bushel; Jul. corn fell 4.75 cents at $6.01 a bushel; Jul. oats was up 19.75 cents at $3.65 a bushel; while Jul. soybeans rose 7.50 cents at $13.76 a bushel.Beef lower, pork higher on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.Jun. live cattle lost .05 cent at $1.7975 a pound; Aug. feeder cattle was down .25 cent at $2.4025 a pound; Jun. lean hogs gained .58 cent at $.8775 a pound.Source

Blinken to travel to China next week, carrying out trip postponed after spy balloon incident

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to travel to China next week as the Biden administration pushes to improve ties that hit a new low in February after a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down over U.S. airspace.U.S. officials say Blinken expects to be in Beijing on June 18 for meetings with senior Chinese officials, including with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and possibly President Xi Jinping.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the State Department nor the Chinese foreign ministry has yet confirmed the trip. The visit, which was agreed between Xi and President Joe Biden last year at a meeting in Bali, had been initially planned for February but was postponed after the spy balloon incident. Beijing insists the craft was a weather balloon that strayed off course. Since then, there have been contacts between the U.S. and China, but they have been rare as tensions have risen over China’s conduct in the South China Sea, aggre...

Exclusivo: Donald Trump admite en una grabación que no desclasificó “información secreta”

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:40 GMT

(CNN) — El expresidente Donald Trump reconoció en una grabación de una reunión de 2021 que había retenido información militar “secreta” que no había desclasificado, según una transcripción del audio obtenida por CNN.“Como presidente, podría haber desclasificado, pero ahora no puedo”, dice Trump, según la transcripción.CNN obtuvo la transcripción de una parte de la reunión en la que Trump discute un documento clasificado del Pentágono sobre atacar a Irán. En la grabación de audio, que CNN informó anteriormente que los fiscales obtuvieron, Trump dice que no desclasificó el documento al que hace referencia, según la transcripción.Trump fue acusado este jueves de siete cargos en la investigación del fiscal especial Jack Smith sobre el mal manejo de documentos clasificados. Los detalles de la acusación no se han hecho públicos, por lo que se desconoce si alguno de los siete cargos se refiere a la reunión registrada de 2021. Aún así, la cinta es significativa porque muestra que Trum...