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AP PHOTOS: An earthquake, a shipwreck and a king’s coronation are among Europe’s views in 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Two men play with a ball in the placid sea; a woman practices yoga where the water meets the hot sand. No one looks back — at the hellscape that starts a few beach-towel lengths away.The black bones of pine trees and scrub stretch inland as far as the eye reaches, marking the course of a major wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes. At this point near Gennadi village, its climate change-fueled fury was only quenched by the sea. Up to a tenth of the island was affected, and authorities had to evacuate 19,000 tourists from their hotels.Even for a country used to seeing forests burn every summer, Greece’s deadly blazes during a July heatwave were unusually bad; despite a huge mobilization, the Rhodes fire raged for 11 days.Climate change left a painful imprint on much of Europe in 2023, as the northern hemisphere sweltered through its hottest summer on record. The United Nations weather agency expects 2023 to also set a global heat record, and warns of a po...

Court filing gives rare look inside FBI seizure of lawmaker’s phone in 2020 election probe

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Just how hard did some Republican members of Congress work to keep Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss? A court case is providing a few tantalizing clues.Snippets and short summaries of texts and emails sent by Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, a top Trump ally, have emerged publicly for the first time as part of a court filing that was unsealed — perhaps inadvertently — by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., as part of a legal battle with federal prosecutors. The messages reveal more about what investigators want to know, what actions Perry took in the weeks after the election and where Perry may fit in the web of Trump loyalists who were central to his bid to remain in power.It was Perry’s efforts to elevate Jeffrey Clark to Trump’s acting attorney general — and likely reverse the Department of Justice’s stance that it had found no evidence of widespread voting fraud that would change the election — that h...

Washington’s center of gravity on immigration has shifted to the right

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a decade ago that Capitol Hill was consumed by an urgency to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, fueled in no small part by Republicans who felt a political imperative to make inroads with minority voters by embracing more generous policies.But nothing ever became law and in the time since, Washington’s center of gravity on immigration has shifted demonstrably to the right, with the debate now focused on measures meant to keep migrants out as Republicans sense they have the political upper hand.Long gone are the chatter and horse-trading between parties over how to secure a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, or a modernized work permit system to encourage more legal migration. Instead, the fights of late have centered on how much to tighten asylum laws and restrain a president’s traditional powers to protect certain groups of migrants. Now, Democrats and Republicans are again struggling to strike an immigration deal — and the consequenc...

A narrowing Republican presidential field will debate with just six weeks before the Iowa caucuses

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — The shrinking field of Republican presidential hopefuls will gather on a debate stage Wednesday for the fourth time this year, running out of time to shake up a race that’s been dominated by former President Donald Trump. Four candidates will be on stage at the University of Alabama for their last scheduled meeting before the Iowa caucuses kick off the presidential nominating season next month. Trump, the race’s clear front-runner, will not be among them. Trump, who has staged public appearances to compete for attention during the three prior GOP debates, will this time spend the evening at a closed-door fundraiser in Florida.Six weeks before voters in Iowa start making their choices, the debate offers a fresh opportunity for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to assert themselves as the best alternatives to Trump.The candidates’ recent m...

Name that plow: MnDOT announces fourth contest for its snow-clearing fleet

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

There hasn’t been much snow for plows to clear this winter in Minnesota — but that won’t stop the annual “Name a Snowplow” contest.The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that its plow-naming event will return for a fourth year.The contest offers people the chance to submit ideas and vote to pick eight winners — with the winning names going on plows in each of MnDOT’s eight districts around the state.MnDOT says “witty, unique and Minnesota — or winter-themed snowplow name ideas” can be submitted from now through noon on Dec. 15 at MnDOT’s website: dot.state.mn.us.Contest rules include one submission per person; names are limited to no more than 30 characters; no profanity or inappropriate language; no politically inspired names; no repeats of past years’ winning names.Once the submission period closes, MnDOT staff will pick finalists to be voted on by the public in January.The previous “Name a Snowplow” contest winners were:Winter 2020-21Plowy McPlow...

Thousands of Southern Californians targeted in ATM skimming theft

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

Federal authorities arrested nearly 50 people in connection with an ATM scam targeting thousands of victims in Southern California.On Nov. 23, Romanian law enforcement collaborated with the FBI’s L.A. office focusing on 84 locations throughout Romania. The locations were tied to an organized crime group known for ATM skimming and money laundering, authorities said.During the massive bust, 48 people were arrested and around $1 million in cash and cryptocurrency, along with 11 vehicles, were seized.Over 8,000 stolen credit card numbers belonging to U.S. citizens were recovered during the operation. Many of the arrested suspects worked directly or were associated with Florian Tudor, the alleged leader of the “notorious and violent ATM skimming organization known as the Riviera Maya Gang based out of Cancun, Mexico,” said the FBI.The suspects would steal funds through ATM skimming devices and send the money through Western Europe before it arrived in Romania. Christmas Grinches s...

Lyft Offers Discounted Holiday Rides To Seniors and Disabled Riders In L.A.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

 With the end-of-year holidays approaching, Lyft will offer discounted rides to seniors and disabled riders in Los Angeles through December.The offer collaborates with the Southern California Resources for Independent Living and Self Help for the Elderly, who donated $20,000 worth of ride credits toward those specific riders in Los Angeles and San Francisco.“Transportation can be a major barrier for those living with disabilities,” Director of Southern California Resources for Independent Living (SCRS-ILC), Hector Ochoa said in a statement. “This holiday season, we’re excited to help make things a little easier by partnering with Lyft. Together, we can better empower people with any disability to live full and independent lives.”Offer codes for up to $10 off for two rides will be provided when qualifying riders contact the SCRS-ILC. With help from the organization, riders may also access wheelchair-accessible transportation, when needed.“Holiday travel is stressful ...

Los Angeles Scammer To Serve 8 Years For ‘SIM Swapping’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

After a series of social media hacks and fraud attempts, a downtown L.A. man has been sentenced to eight years in prison.Amir Hossein Golshan, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, one count of wire fraud, and one count of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value, between April 2019 and June 2023.“[Golshan’s] crimes demonstrate an utter lack of respect for the law and basic human dignity,” the sentencing memo said. “He showed little remorse for his victims or being caught during his years of crime, believing that he could hide behind the anonymity of online screennames or VPNs, and that his victims – who were on the other side of the computer – would never find him. Indeed, the defendant continued to commit these crimes, becoming more sophisticated and brazen in his actions, up until the FBI arrested him.”Among the tactics used by Golshan was “SIM swapping,” which involves the takeover of a user’s Instagram acco...

Charges Filed In Connection To Homeless Serial Killings

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, was taken into custody by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. and faces murder charges for the alleged killings of three men, with suspicion of a fourth.Powell allegedly shot and killed the homeless men as they were sleeping on sidewalks or alleyways. The additional person shot was Nicholas Simbolon, an L.A. County employee believed to be the victim of a follow-home robbery attempt.Simbolon, 34, was followed to his San Dimas home after charging his vehicle in a West Covina station on Nov. 30. Simbolon was then shot and robbed as Powell allegedly fled the scene.“The cold-blooded manner in which he walks up and shoots this individual without any hesitation, no interactions, and then leave that location… to follow home an individual, a young father of two, who’s simply charging his car,” LAPD Cheif Michel Moore said in a Dec. 4 press conference. “It was chilling.”Powell was initially arrested for the Simbolon killing befor...

Topgolf in San Diego one step closer to reality

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:11:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Topgolf could make its way to San Diego. The Port of San Diego voted on a non-binding term sheet that allows them and Topgolf to negotiate a potential lease agreement.The topic has garnered a lot of attention in excitement and opposition.Topgolf is one step closer to possibly coming to San Diego’s bayfront. The Port of San Diego approved signing a term sheet with Topgolf.The board also voted to create an entertainment district to encourage other concepts, like Topgolf, to come to the area.The term sheet with Topgolf allows both parties to negotiate a potential lease agreement. The term sheet lays out a proposed lease of 20 years with options to extend up to 40 years.The proposed project is a three-story social driving range on 9.5 acres of East Harbor Island.Currently, rental car parking lots are at the location of the proposed Topgolf.“We believe we are a very solid natural fit to fulfill the goals of the east harbor re-development, to enjoy bringing the community toge...