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How Democrats in rural Northern California, deep in MAGA country, are growing stronger

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

By Jenavieve Hatch, The Sacramento BeeAlice Rogers admitted that identifying as a Democrat in Siskiyou County felt a bit “like coming out.”She stood under a canopy of tall trees in Weed’s Carrick Park on a warm June afternoon along with about 100 other local Democrats at the county party’s annual fundraising dinner.Like many Democratic women across the U.S., Rogers, the chair of the Democratic Central Committee of Siskiyou County, and Robin Richards, the committee’s treasurer, were called to action after the election Donald Trump in 2016, as they watched their Republican neighbors ride the MAGA wave further to the right.“I didn’t know there were other Democrats in Siskiyou County,” said Rogers, a lifelong Democrat. But as she and Richards realized there were more Democrats than they thought — 35% of the county voted for Hillary Clinton — they began to strategize.“We were so angry,” said Rogers. “And we were both retired, so we had the time for it.”Rural north state Democrats have lo...

FTX sues Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents to claw back funds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

By Amelia Pollard and Dave Liedtka | BloombergThe managers of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX sued the parents of co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer Sam Bankman-Fried to “recover millions of dollars in fraudulently transferred and misappropriated funds.”Allan Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried allegedly exploited their access and influence within FTX to “enrich themselves, directly and indirectly, by millions of dollars,” at the expense of the debtors and creditors, the company said in a Monday court filing.FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrives at Manhattan federal court, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in New York. Bankman-Fried is back in court in a criminal case accusing him of looting customer funds from his cryptocurrency exchange. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Bankman-Fried’s FTX empire fell apart last November in what prosecutors say is one of the largest financial frauds in US history. FTX owed customers approximately $8.7 billion when it filed for bankruptcy and about $7 bi...

Oakland PD investigate report of shooting near Lincoln Elementary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

(KRON) -- A report of a shooting near Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland’s Chinatown district sent police to investigate Tuesday morning.Just before 8 a.m., the Oakland Police Department responded to the 200 block of 11th Street after a report of a possible shooting in the area. According to the Oakland Unified School District, there was gunfire heard in or near a park adjacent to Lincoln Elementary School.Police on the scene were unable to locate a shooting suspect, a shooting scene or a victim, Oakland PD said. There is no active shooter, and school was not in session at the time of the report, OUSD said.The scene remains active, and Oakland PD requested that all people stay out of the area.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Person shot inside East Oakland home in critical condition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

(KRON) -- A person was struck by gunfire inside an East Oakland home early Monday morning and is in critical condition, according to the Oakland Police Department.Oakland police responded just after 1 a.m. to the 1500 block of 92nd Avenue after a ShotSpotter activation in the area. Officers learned of reports of a person struck by gunfire while heading to the scene.Once police arrived, a victim with a gunshot wound or wounds was located inside a residence, Oakland PD said. Paramedics also responded to the scene to give medical attention to the victim. The victim was then transported to an area hospital and is in critical condition. Oakland mother killed after being struck by stray bullet while asleep The investigation into the shooting is being performed by the Oakland PD’s Felony Assault Unit and is ongoing, police said.Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPD Felony Assault Unit at (510)-238-3426. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Brazil’s Lula pitches his nation — and himself — as fresh leader for Global South

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — “Brazil is back.” That has been Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s refrain for the better part of the last year, with the president deploying the snappy slogan to cast Brazil — and himself — as a leader of the Global South no longer content to abide the world’s outdated workings.Last year, Lula thwarted the reelection bid of the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, who showed little interest in geopolitics or diplomacy during his four years in office. Lula, by contrast, has crisscrossed the globe and visited 21 countries in recent months, from the United States to China, Italy to India, Argentina to Angola. He has sought to boost Brazil’s cred with each state visit and speech, one multilateral forum after another. On Tuesday, his address at the U.N. General Assembly marked his return to that rostrum for the first time since 2009, the last year of his previous presidency’s second term.“Brazil is reencountering itself, the region, the world and multilateralism,” ...

Man accused in deaths of nearly two dozen elderly women in Texas killed by his prison cellmate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — A man accused of killing nearly two dozen older women and who was convicted last year in the slayings of two was killed Tuesday morning by his cellmate at a Texas prison, an official said.Billy Chemirmir, 50, was found dead in his cell, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Hannah Haney. She said that Chemirmir’s cellmate, who is serving a sentence for murder, was identified as the assailant. She said she could not the cellmate’s identity or how Chemirmir was killed.The first capital murder trial of Chemirmir for the slaying of Lu Thi Harris, 81, ended in mistrial in Dallas County. He was later convicted in a second trial for Harris’ death and convicted of a second killing in the death of Mary Brooks, 87.Authorities said Chemirmir preyed on older women, killing them and stealing their valuables. Chemirmir, who maintained his innocence, was serving two sentences of life without the possibility of parole.He was caught after a 91-year-old woman...

Tracy Byrd toasts Great Frederick Fair for ‘Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo’ before doing ‘Watermelon Crawl’ home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

Hear our full chat on my podcast “Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley.” toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews Tracy Byrd at the Great Frederick Fair (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Country music star Tracy Byrd joins Jo Dee Messina at the Great Frederick Fair in Frederick, Maryland, this Friday.Together, they’ve had so many hits that, to steal a phrase, I lost count and started counting again.“We...

Man accused of killing nearly two dozen older women has been killed in prison by his cellmate, Texas officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Man accused of killing nearly two dozen older women has been killed in prison by his cellmate, Texas officials say.Source

United Auto Workers threaten to expand targeted strike if there is no substantive progress by Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

The United Auto Workers union is stepping up pressure on Detroit’s Big Three by threatening to expand its strike unless it sees major progress in contract negotiations by Friday.In a video statement late Monday, UAW President Shawn Fain said workers at more factories will join those who are now in the fifth day of a strike at three plants.“We’re not going to keep waiting around forever while they drag this out … and we’re not messing around,” Fain said in announcing the noon Friday deadline for escalating the strike unless there is “serious progress” in the talks.Ford, General Motors and Stellantis said they want to settle the strike, and they held back from directly criticizing the escalation threat.Mark Stewart, the North American chief operating officer of Stellantis, the successor to Fiat Chrysler, said the company is still looking for common ground with the UAW.“I hope that we’re able to do that by Friday,” Stewart said on CNBC. GM said in a printed statement,...

India expels Canadian diplomat, escalating tensions after Trudeau accuses India in Sikh’s killing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:31 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat on Tuesday and accused Canada of interfering in its internal affairs, ramping up a confrontation between the two countries over accusations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh activist. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada wasn’t looking to escalate tensions, but asked India to take the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar seriously after India called accusations that the Indian government may have been involved “absurd.”“India and the government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness,” Trudeau told journalists outside Parliament Tuesday. “We are doing that. We are not looking to provoke or escalate. We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them and we want to work with the government of India to lay everything clear and to ensure there are proper processes.”Trudeau said Monday that his government was investigating allegations that India was connected ...