The family of the late Kobe Bryant has agreed to a $28.5 million settlement with Los Angeles County to resolve the remaining claims in a lawsuit over deputies and firefighters sharing grisly photos of the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter and other victims killed in a 2020 helicopter crash, attorneys and court filings said Tuesday....
RFK Assassin Sirhan Sirhan Again Seeks Release from Prison
Nearly two years ago, a California parole board voted to free Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin, but the decision was later overturned by the governor. Sirhan Sirhan will once again appear before the board Wednesday at a hearing at a federal prison in San Diego County to ask to be let out....
Ukraine Official: Forces May Pull out of Key Eastern City
The Ukrainian military might decide to pull troops back from the key stronghold of Bakhmut, an adviser to Ukraine's president said Wednesday as Russia pursued a bloody, months-long offensive to capture the city. “Our military is obviously going to weigh all of the options. So far, they’ve held the city, but...
China Dismisses FBI Statement on COVID-19 Lab Leak Theory
For the second day in a row, China on Wednesday dismissed U.S. suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic may have been triggered by a virus that leaked from a Chinese laboratory. Responding to comments by FBI Director Christopher Wray, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the involvement of the U.S. intelligence...
Israeli Police Crack Down, Clash With Anti-Netanyahu Protesters
Weeks of anti-government protests in Israel turned violent on Wednesday for the first time as police fired stun grenades and a water cannon at demonstrators who blocked a Tel Aviv highway. The crackdown came shortly after Israel's hard-line security minister urged a tough response to what he said were “anarchists.”...
Biden to Nominate Former California Official as Next Labor Secretary
President Joe Biden is nominating Julie Su, the current deputy and former California official, as his next labor secretary, replacing the departing incumbent, former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Su, a civil rights attorney and former head of California's labor department, was central to negotiations between labor and freight rail companies late last...
Israel Says Motorist Killed in West Bank Held US Citizenship
Israeli authorities said Tuesday that a motorist shot to death by a suspected Palestinian gunman in the occupied West Bank held both American and Israeli citizenship. It was the latest in a bloody string of violent attacks roiling the region. The government identified the slain man as Elan Ganeles, 27,...
Consumer Confidence Slips Again in February
Consumer confidence dipped for the second straight month as stubborn inflation and anxiety over a potentially slowing economy weighed on Americans. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index slipped to 102.9 in February, from a reading of 106 in January. The business research group’s present situation index...
Newsom Vows to Modify Contentious CEQA Law to Boost Housing Projects
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he'll work this year to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says has been weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly-needed housing for students at the University of California, Berkeley. Newsom’s comments over the weekend followed a state appeals court ruling that found the University of...
Mexican President Disparages Pro-Democracy Demonstrators
Mexico’s president lashed out Monday against demonstrators opposed to his plan to cut election funding, belittling their concerns about threats to democracy and dashing any hopes that he would try to ease rising political tensions. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador seemed to revel in the conflict, hurling insults at the tens...