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Today: January 19, 2025
Today: January 19, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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World

Los Angeles city councilman charged with embezzlement may face suspension

The president of the Los Angeles City Council said he will file a motion Wednesday to suspend a councilman charged with embezzlement, perjury and other crimes in the latest corruption scandal among leadership of the nation’s second-largest city. Council President Paul Krekorian said he was shocked by the criminal complaint against Curren Price Jr., whom he referred to as “a friend and colleague” while stressing that the presumption of innocence is a bedrock principle of the U.S. Constitution. Price, who has served on the council for a decade, faces five counts of embezzlement of government funds,

Los Angeles city councilman charged with embezzlement may face suspension
Arts

`Cats' returns at new Perelman Center, a $500 million building in downtown Manhattan

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s absence from New York City’s stages will be at most 14 months, with “Cats” returning in June 2024 at the World Trade Center’s new Perelman Performing Arts Center. The $500 million building, the next-to-last element of the World Trade Center redevelopment to open following the 2001 terrorist attacks, announced its inaugural season Wednesday. “Cats” will appear in June and July 2024 directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, with choreography by Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles. The musical will have reimagined staging set in Harlem’s drag Ballroom Culture. Bill Rauch, PAC’s artistic director,

`Cats' returns at new Perelman Center, a $500 million building in downtown Manhattan
World

Bud Light dethroned as America's top selling beer after 2 decades with LGBTQ+ backlash ongoing

After more than two decades as America’s best-selling beer, Bud Light has slipped into second place. Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager, overtook Bud Light in U.S. retail dollar sales in the month ending June 3, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Bump Williams Consulting. Modelo controlled 8.4% of U.S. grocery, convenience and liquor store sales; Bud Light fell to 7.3%. It’s a milestone in the months-long sales decline Bud Light has experienced since early April, when critics vowed to boycott the brand after it sent a commemorative can to Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer. Bud Light has also faced backlash

Bud Light dethroned as America's top selling beer after 2 decades with LGBTQ+ backlash ongoing
World

Diggs returns to practice with Bills coach McDermott saying receiver's concerns are resolved

Stefon Diggs was back on the field practicing on Wednesday, and Bills coach Sean McDermott said whatever lingering issues from last season that raised concern and confusion over the absence of Buffalo’s top receiver a day earlier have been resolved. To begin with, McDermott said Diggs didn’t skip the team’s mandatory session on Tuesday, but was in fact excused. As for the issues that led to Diggs’ concerns in questioning his role in the offense, the coach said the team and the receiver are “in a real good spot.” McDermott made an unscheduled appearance with

Diggs returns to practice with Bills coach McDermott saying receiver's concerns are resolved
World

Clint Dempsey says the US Soccer Federation is taking too long to hire a coach

Clint Dempsey thinks the U.S. Soccer Federation hurt the men’s national team by delaying its decision on a coach leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired Dec. 31 and the USSF appointed Anthony Hudson as interim coach while it investigated a decades-old domestic violence allegation against Berhalter. An outside law firm said in March there was no impediment to retaining Berhalter, but British executive Matt Crocker was hired in April as sporting director and said he likely will take until the end of summer to decide on a coach. In the meantime,

Clint Dempsey says the US Soccer Federation is taking too long to hire a coach
World

Synagogue massacre survivor cried 'Mommy' as her 97-year-old mother was shot and killed by her side

A survivor of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre said Wednesday that she saw her right arm “get blown open in two places” by a gunman and cried “Mommy” after her 97-year-old mother was shot and killed next to her in the nation’s deadliest attack on Jewish people. Andrea Wedner was expected to be the government’s last witness as prosecutors wrap up their case against Robert Bowers, who burst into the Tree of Life synagogue building with a military-style rifle and other weaponry and opened fire, shooting anyone he could find. Bowers killed 11 worshippers and injured seven others,

Synagogue massacre survivor cried 'Mommy' as her 97-year-old mother was shot and killed by her side
World

Israeli parliament vote deals setback to Netanyahu and judicial overhaul plan

Israel’s parliament on Wednesday appointed an opposition lawmaker to the powerful committee that picks the country’s judges, defying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a vote that exposed divisions within the ruling coalition and raised questions about his control over his political allies. The vote appeared to temporarily avert a crisis that had threatened to unleash renewed political turmoil over Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul plan. The opposition had threatened to withdraw from negotiations with Netanyahu over the overhaul if its candidate, Karine Elharrar, was not named to the committee. Despite Elharrar’s appointment on Wednesday, the opposition said it

Israeli parliament vote deals setback to Netanyahu and judicial overhaul plan
World

Iowa city hires outside firms to investigate partial building collapse

Two firms have been tasked with investigating the partial collapse of a six-story apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, that left three dead, many injured and dozens displaced, the city announced Wednesday. The city hired White Birch Group, LLC, and SOCOTEC Engineering to complete a cause and origin report that will be shared with the public “when deemed appropriate,” city officials said in a statement. A report could start to answer questions about the May 28 partial collapse, including why residents remained in the 116-year-old brick, steel and concrete building despite the many warnings over many

Iowa city hires outside firms to investigate partial building collapse
World

Shedding equity: Housing slowdown leads to first annual drop in US homeowner equity since 2012

For the first time in more than a decade, the average U.S. homeowner with a mortgage has less home equity than they did a year earlier. Among the roughly 63% of U.S. homes with a mortgage, average homeowner equity per borrower was $274,070 in the first quarter, down 1.9% from the same quarter last year, according to real estate data tracker CoreLogic. The last time average homeowner equity fell year-over-year was in the first quarter of 2012, when the housing market was still regaining its footing after the mortgage meltdown and ensuing foreclosure crisis that helped

Shedding equity: Housing slowdown leads to first annual drop in US homeowner equity since 2012
World

Shedding equity: Housing slowdown leads to first annual drop in US homeowner equity since 2012

For the first time in more than a decade, the average U.S. homeowner with a mortgage has less home equity than they did a year earlier. Among the roughly 63% of U.S. homes with a mortgage, average homeowner equity per borrower was $274,070 in the first quarter, down 1.9% from the same quarter last year, according to real estate data tracker CoreLogic. The last time average homeowner equity fell year-over-year was in the first quarter of 2012, when the housing market was still regaining its footing after the mortgage meltdown and ensuing foreclosure crisis that helped

Shedding equity: Housing slowdown leads to first annual drop in US homeowner equity since 2012
Political

Trump's GOP rivals grapple with their response as his legal woes dominate the presidential contest

Just last week, former Vice President Mike Pence said he hoped federal prosecutors would not bring charges against former President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, a day after Trump was arraigned on dozens of felony counts related to classified documents, Pence described the allegations as “a very serious matter.” “I cannot defend what is alleged,” Pence, who is now challenging Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, said on CNBC. The former vice president’s evolving message highlights the high-stakes dilemma for Trump’s Republican rivals, who are struggling to find a clear and consistent strategy to take on the

Trump's GOP rivals grapple with their response as his legal woes dominate the presidential contest
World

Harvard Medical School morgue manager, 4 others indicted in theft, sale of human remains

A former manager at the Harvard Medical School morgue, his wife and three other people have been indicted in the theft and sale of human body parts, federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced Wednesday. Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, stole dissected portions of cadavers that were donated to the school in the scheme that stretched from 2018 to early 2023, according to court documents. The body parts were taken without the school’s knowledge or permission, authorities said, adding that the school has cooperated with the investigation. Lodge sometimes took the body parts — which included

Harvard Medical School morgue manager, 4 others indicted in theft, sale of human remains
Health

Henri 'Pocket Rocket' Richard, 11-time winner of Stanley Cup, diagnosed with CTE after death in 2020

Henri Richard’s family says the late Hockey Hall of Famer has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease linked to concussions. “I hope my father’s brain donation and diagnosis will lead to more prevention efforts, research, and eventually a CTE treatment,” Denis Richard, Henri’s son, said on Wednesday, a day after the clinching game of the Stanley Cup Final. “I want people to understand this is a disease that impacts athletes far beyond football.” Richard, who died in 2020 at the age of 84, was diagnosed with CTE by Dr. Stephen Saikali at Université Laval in Québec

Henri 'Pocket Rocket' Richard, 11-time winner of Stanley Cup, diagnosed with CTE after death in 2020
Arts

Barbara Kingsolver wins Women's Prize for Fiction with Appalachian novel 'Demon Copperhead'

American novelist Barbara Kingsolver won the prestigious Women’s Prize for Fiction Wednesday with “Demon Copperhead,” the Dickens-inspired tale of a boy’s struggle against the odds in a corner of America scarred by opioid addiction. Kingsolver’s Appalachian coming-of-age tale was announced as winner of the 30,000 pounds ($38,000) award at a ceremony in London. Kingsolver, 68, also won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for the novel, which transplants Charles Dickens’ “David Copperfield” to modern-day southwest Virginia, where the author lives. It was a second victory for Kingsolver, who previously won the Women’s Prize in 2010 for “The

Barbara Kingsolver wins Women's Prize for Fiction with Appalachian novel 'Demon Copperhead'
World

Ohio House votes to mandate defibrillators in schools, sports venues after collapse of Bills' Hamlin

Automatic external defibrillators, or AEDs, could be placed in nearly every school or sports and recreation venue in Ohio under a proposal that cleared the Republican-dominated House Wednesday with overwhelming bipartisan support. The legislation, sparked by the sudden cardiac arrest of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin in January on the field during a football game in Cincinnati, would require that all public schools, municipally-owned sports and recreation locations such as gymnasiums and swimming pools, and some private schools have on-site AEDs. It cleared the chamber on an 84-6 vote. Current Ohio law allows school districts to

Ohio House votes to mandate defibrillators in schools, sports venues after collapse of Bills' Hamlin
World

In affirmative action and student loan cases, some see backlash to racial progress in education

As a Black student who was raised by a single mother, Makia Green believes she benefited from a program that gave preference to students of color from economically disadvantaged backgrounds when she was admitted over a decade ago to the University of Rochester. As a borrower who still owes just over $20,000 on her undergraduate student loans, she has been counting on President Joe Biden’s promised debt relief to wipe nearly all of that away. Now, both affirmative action and the student loan cancellation plan — policies that disproportionately help Black students — could soon be dismantled

In affirmative action and student loan cases, some see backlash to racial progress in education
World

A look at migration trends behind the latest shipwreck off Greece

Wednesday’s deadly shipwreck off southern Greece, involving a large boat carrying migrants that capsized after apparently rebuffing offers of help, is just the latest case of smugglers packing vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe. The trip from Libya or Tunisia through the Central Mediterranean and north to Europe is the deadliest migratory route in the world, according to the U.N.’s International Organization of Migration. Here’s a look at situation in the Mediterranean and some of the particulars of the latest tragedy: WHAT HAPPENED? Greek coast guard, navy and merchant

A look at migration trends behind the latest shipwreck off Greece
Political

House rejects effort to censure and fine Democrat Adam Schiff over Trump-Russia investigations

The House has rejected an effort to censure California Rep. Adam Schiff, voting to turn aside a Republican attempt to fine the Democrat over his comments about former President Donald Trump and investigations into his ties to Russia. Schiff, the former Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and the lead prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment trial, has long been a top Republican political target. Soon after taking back the majority this year, Republicans blocked him from sitting on the intelligence panel. But Schiff was helped Wednesday by more than 20 Republicans who voted with Democrats to

House rejects effort to censure and fine Democrat Adam Schiff over Trump-Russia investigations
Political

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez enters crowded GOP presidential race days after Trump's indictment

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez filed paperwork Wednesday to launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, jumping into the crowded race just a day after GOP front-runner Donald Trump appeared in court on federal charges in Suarez’s city. The 45-year-old mayor, the only Hispanic candidate in the race, declared his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. He had teased an announcement, noting that he would be making a “big speech” Thursday at the Reagan Library in California. “If I do decide to run,” he said Tuesday before Trump’s court appearance, “it’s starting a new chapter, a new

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez enters crowded GOP presidential race days after Trump's indictment
Economy

Why the Federal Reserve's epic fight against inflation might be over

Time to press the stop button? iStock/Getty Images The Federal Reserve’s decision to hold rates steady signals that central bankers believe it is time to hit pause, at least temporarily, on their aggressive campaign to tame runaway inflation. The latest data, not to mention several other factors, however, suggests it’s time for a full stop. On June 14, 2023, the Fed chose not to lift rates for the first time in 11 meetings, leaving its target interest rate – a benchmark for borrowing costs across the global economy – at a range of 5% to 5.25%. Over 10 consecutive hikes

Why the Federal Reserve's epic fight against inflation might be over
World

Luka Modric penalty completes thrilling 4-2 win for Croatia over Netherlands in Nations League

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric scored an extra-time penalty to seal a thrilling 4-2 victory for Croatia over the Netherlands and a place in the Nations League final. Thousands of ecstatic red-and-white clad Croatia fans chanted “Luka! Luka! Luka!” after the 37-year-old completed the scoring from the penalty spot in the 116th minute on Wednesday. Modric said after the match that the fans made it feel like he was playing in Zagreb or Split in Croatia. It was Modric’s 165th appearance for his country. He said after captaining Croatia to victory over Morocco in the third-place game

Luka Modric penalty completes thrilling 4-2 win for Croatia over Netherlands in Nations League
World

Mets' Drew Smith suspended 10 games for banned sticky stuff at Subway Series

New York Mets pitcher Drew Smith was suspended for 10 games by Major League Baseball on Wednesday, the fifth pitcher and second on his team penalized for using banned sticky stuff. The penalty was announced by MLB senior vice president for on-field operations Michael Hill, one day after Smith entered in the seventh inning of a Subway Series game against the Yankees at Citi Field and was ejected without throwing a pitch. Smith declined to appeal the discipline to John McHale Jr., a special assistant to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, and started serving the penalty Wednesday

Mets' Drew Smith suspended 10 games for banned sticky stuff at Subway Series
Arts

Robert Gottlieb, celebrated literary editor of Toni Morrison and Robert Caro, dies at 92

Robert Gottlieb, the inspired and eclectic literary editor whose brilliant career was launched with Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22” and continued for decades with such Pulitzer Prize-winning classics as Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” and Robert Caro’s “The Power Broker,” has died at age 92. Gottlieb died Wednesday of natural causes at a New York hospital, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group announced. Caro, who had worked for decades with Gottlieb on his Lyndon Johnson biographies and was featured with him last year in the documentary “Turn Every Page,” said in a statement that he had never worked with an editor so

Robert Gottlieb, celebrated literary editor of Toni Morrison and Robert Caro, dies at 92
Health

Suicides and homicides among young Americans jumped early in pandemic, study says

The homicide rate for older U.S. teenagers rose to its highest point in nearly 25 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the suicide rate for adults in their early 20s was the worst in more than 50 years, government researchers said Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report examined the homicide and suicide rates among 10- to 24-year-olds from 2001 to 2021. The increase is alarming and “reflects a mental health crisis among young people and a need for a number of policy changes,” said Dr. Steven Woolf, a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher who

Suicides and homicides among young Americans jumped early in pandemic, study says
World

Chaos rules the day as US Open comes to the glitz of Los Angeles

Brooks Koepka says he enjoys the chaos and there’s no shortage of that in this U.S. Open, even for those who manage to avoid the traffic. Players are still trying to digest the blockbuster announcement of the PGA Tour ending a legal and moral battle with LIV Golf by becoming partners with the Saudi Arabia national wealth fund that paid for all those PGA Tour defections. And then came news late Tuesday night that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was turning over day-to-day operations while he recovers from what was described as a medical situation. And

Chaos rules the day as US Open comes to the glitz of Los Angeles

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