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Opinion: Trump indictment is a risky bet for New York and the nation

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

The criminal indictment of former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump is historic and unprecedented. It stands for the principle that, in the United States, no one is above the law.At the same time, from the perspective of protecting U.S. democracy, the indictment is poorly timed. It would have been far better for the stability of our democracy if Trump had first been charged with crimes connected to his attempts to subvert that democracy by pressuring Georgia election officials to find more votes, not to mention interfering with the transfer of power on and around Jan. 6, 2021. If prosecutors in different jurisdictions consider it improper to confer with each other on timing, then Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should have waited for others to move first.The relatively minor charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney regarding Trump’s alleged hush money payments to cover up extramarital sexual encounters do not target the core of Trump’s chall...

Dramatic photos show how storms filled Northern California reservoirs

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

By TERRY CHEA, NOAH BERGER and JOSH EDELSON | Associated Press|FOLSOM — Water levels fell so low in key reservoirs during the depth of California’s drought that boat docks sat on dry, cracked land and cars drove into the center of what should have been Folsom Lake.Those scenes are no more after a series of powerful storms dumped record amounts of rain and snow across California, replenishing reservoirs and bringing an end — mostly — to the state’s three-year drought.A dock floats in the Browns Ravine Cove area of Folsom Lake, March 26, 2023, left, and the same location on dry land on May 22, 2021, in Folsom, Calif. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson) Now, 12 of California’s 17 major reservoirs are filled above their historical averages for the start of spring. That includes Folsom Lake, which controls water flows along the American River, as well as Lake Oroville, the state’s second largest reservoir and home to the nation’s tallest dam.It’s a stunning turnaround of water availability in t...

$1 million settlement in suit accusing California cop of rape after DUI arrest

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

BRAWLEY  — The Southern California city of Brawley will pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit by a woman who accused a police officer of rape after he arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence, her attorneys said Wednesday.The civil lawsuit filed in 2021 alleged former Brawley police Officer Ricardo Gabriel Valdez drove the woman back to her home in a patrol car, where she woke up to him having sex with her. Valdez left the DUI citation on her bedside when he left, according to the woman’s complaint.“This horrible incident has changed my life, and I am glad I can begin to put it behind me,” the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, said in a statement obtained by the Los Angeles Times. “I am discouraged and upset that a police officer took advantage of his badge.”Attorneys for the woman called the officer’s actions “brazen, malicious, sadistic, offensive to human dignity and cruel.”The officer’s sperm was found in the woman’s home, according to the lawsuit. Valdez admitted...

Walters: California’s water battles continue despite record rain and snow

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

On Monday, California water officials slogged through deep snow 7,000 feet above sea level, west of Lake Tahoe, to affirm what everyone already knew: A series of Pacific storms has generated record-level amounts of precipitation, filling reservoirs, inundating low-lying towns and fields and threatening more disastrous flooding as the Sierra snowpack melts.Its negative aspects aside, the immense amount of rain and snow is welcome relief from drought that has plagued the state for the past three years. But it also is a warning about California’s boom-and-bust precipitation cycle, which is becoming more pronounced with climate change.It’s a warning that we must do a better job of capturing and conserving water when precipitation is plentiful, because the next drought is just around the corner. That means building more storage, such as the long-delayed Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, creating more sinking basins to replenish overdrafted underground aquifers an...

Why buy a smart new home? Technology plus conveniences

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

Building on the theme of choosing between new construction and resale, many buyers facing this decision ask, “What does an older home offer that we won’t find in a new home?” Or “What does a new home offer that we won’t get in an older home?”The answers may boil down to the technology and conveniences that are included with the home.Many resale homes are at least minimally updated with smart-home and energy-saving features. But new construction homes offer both types of features, often with an integrated tech platform.In most new-construction homes, a single app controls everything from the security system and programmable electric shades to electronic calendar reminders, entertainment hubs, lighting and video doorbells. Some smart-home features can be extended to remotely manage refrigerator inventory, control the oven or use the hands-free toilet.Embrace the techThe technology will welcome you, too. There’s no escaping the wealth of digital innovations, connectivity and energy-sav...

Semana de Turismo, Criolla y hasta de la Cerveza: el país que le quitó el “santa” a la semana clave de los cristianos

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

(CNN Español) — “¿Qué planes tenés para Semana Santa?”, le pregunté días atrás a una amiga. “Semana de Turismo, dirás”, me corrigió rápidamente, en tono medio broma, medio serio. Y es que en Uruguay –oficialmente– la semana clave del calendario de los cristianos quedó despojada del adjetivo “santa” hace más de 100 años. En las leyes, es la Semana de Turismo. Y también se ha hecho de otros nombres populares, como Semana Criolla y hasta Semana de la Cerveza, dependiendo del lugar en el que te encuentres.No hay que confundirse: en Uruguay, el cristianismo –la fe mayoritaria– celebra libremente la Semana Santa (aunque, eso sí, con una visibilidad menor a la de países como España). Y los huevos y los conejos de Pascua son ultrapopulares. Sin embargo, desde comienzos del siglo XX, las leyes no la reconocen a esa semana como tal, sino como la Semana de Turismo, que cada año coincide en fechas con la Semana Santa de los cristianos.El cambio se remon...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. planea postularse a la presidencia como demócrata

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

(CNN) — El abogado ambientalista y activista antivacunas Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presentó documentos ante la Comisión Federal de Elecciones para postularse a la presidencia en 2024 como demócrata.La información fue confirmada este miércoles por su tesorero de campaña, John E. Sullivan.El hombre de 69 años es hijo del otrora senador de Nueva York, secretario de Justicia de Estados Unidos y candidato presidencial asesinado en 1968, Robert F. Kennedy, y sobrino del difunto presidente John F. Kennedy.Kennedy Jr. es un escéptico de las vacunas desde hace mucho tiempo. Ha promovido afirmaciones desacreditadas que vinculan las vacunas y el autismo y fundó la organización antivacunas Children’s Health Defense. También ha criticado la vacuna contra el coronavirus y ha criticado el manejo de la pandemia por parte del gobierno federal.La muerte de la nieta de Robert F. Kennedy es la última de una larga lista de tragedias para la familia KennedyEn 2019, tres miembros de su familia, su...

RPM International: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

MEDINA, Ohio (AP) — MEDINA, Ohio (AP) — RPM International Inc. (RPM) on Thursday reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $27 million.On a per-share basis, the Medina, Ohio-based company said it had profit of 21 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 37 cents per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 30 cents per share.The specialty chemicals company posted revenue of $1.52 billion in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.46 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on RPM at https://www.zacks.com/ap/RPMSource

ANÁLISIS | La palpitante política estatal podría moldear Estados Unidos más que los problemas legales de Trump

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

(CNN) — Donald Trump puede estar acaparando todos los titulares, pero las luchas partidistas en las capitales estatales de todo el país pueden hacer mucho más para cambiar a Estados Unidos que el drama que rodea al primer expresidente acusado de un delito.Los enfrentamientos entre demócratas y republicanos por cuestiones como el aborto y las armas, que también podrían dar forma a las futuras leyes y mapas electorales, presagian los grandes debates que se avecinan en la campaña presidencial de 2024. Estos conflictos latentes también reflejan una nación dividida en torno a su identidad cultural y política, y muestran cómo a veces pequeños cambios en el equilibrio de poder pueden tener consecuencias trascendentales.En Wisconsin, uno de los estados más reñidos en las últimas elecciones presidenciales, una jueza liberal se impuso este martes en la carrera por un puesto en el Tribunal Supremo del estado, en una victoria que podría restablecer el derecho al aborto en el estado y dar ...

'It is unbearable': This is the smelliest place in Denver, according to complaints

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:09:20 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you are ever driving through the Mile High City, there is a good chance your nose will take in a variety of different scents.From marijuana to food to manufacturing, you never know what smells will fill your nostrils. Police stop driver with tags from 2020 in Wheat Ridge The City of Denver has an odor ordinance. The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment is responsible for regulating nuisance odors as a part of the ordinance. What are the biggest offenders for smellFOX31 submitted a Colorado Open Records Act request with the DDPHE in March to determine what odor complaints were filed in the City of Denver from January 2022 to March 2023.While the complaints varied, the biggest standouts were marijuana and pet food manufacturing.The Nestle Purina plant located at 4555 York St. led the way with violations.What were the complaints about Purina?Many of the complaints filed about the Purina plant were that it smelled bad or the smell was stronger than no...