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Today: April 04, 2025
Today: April 04, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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Arts

Music Review: 'Barbie' soundtrack delivers a dreamhouse of Kenergy and ballads alike

“Barbie: The Album” by Various Artists (Atlantic/Warner/Mattel) The Barbie industrial complex has detonated, coating the planet in pink, sparkly fallout. For the blockbuster’s soundtrack, “Barbie: The Album,” film director Greta Gerwig and music producer Mark Ronson corralled a set of huge artists at the top of their games and have come away with a raucous, joyous and, occasionally, touching compilation. The soundtrack works because the contributors understood the assignment. Collectively, they deliver a dreamhouse of songs that are each at least a little better than they have to be. The tracks succeed both as cinematic elements and as standalone songs.

Music Review: 'Barbie' soundtrack delivers a dreamhouse of Kenergy and ballads alike
Political

Biden is building his reelection bid around an organization Obama shunned

President Joe Biden is staking his reelection bid on the political and financial muscle of the Democratic National Committee. As it prepares for a bruising 2024 contest, his campaign plans to raise and spend around $2 billion. But it will do so in coordination with the national and state Democratic parties, in an effort to establish a coordinated campaign around the country. The idea is to bolster field, volunteer and data organizations, and ensure they work jointly to promote Biden and down-ballot Democratic candidates. “The president is really rewriting the playbook when it comes to what a

Biden is building his reelection bid around an organization Obama shunned
Arts

Actors and writers strikes enter second week with no signs of a deal to get Hollywood working again

The combined strike by Hollywood actors and screenwriters is entering its second week with no sign that a swift ending will be achieved. For a week, actors including household names like Tina Fey, Kevin Bacon and wife Kyra Sedgwick, Rosario Dawson, David Duchovny and other stars have joined working class performers and writers on picket lines outside studios and corporate offices of streaming giants Amazon, MAX and Netflix. The actors’ regular appearance on picket lines has provided additional starpower and voices on issues that are key to both groups — better pay and preserving established practices

Actors and writers strikes enter second week with no signs of a deal to get Hollywood working again
Political

DeSantis takes his presidential campaign to Utah, a heavily GOP state where Trump has struggled

Ron DeSantis is taking his presidential campaign to Utah on Friday, prioritizing a state where rival Donald Trump has struggled in the past and that could be a beacon of strength for the Florida governor’s stalled bid. DeSantis is set to appear at the state Capitol with about a dozen supportive state lawmakers, meet with Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and attend a fundraiser. His trip out West comes as he has been working to reset a campaign confronting financial pressures and a static position in the field trailing Trump. The former president has remained a

DeSantis takes his presidential campaign to Utah, a heavily GOP state where Trump has struggled
World

Northeast floods devastate 'heartbroken' farmers as months of labor and crops are swept away

Well before it was warm enough to plant seedlings in the ground, farmer Micah Barritt began nursing crops like watermelon, eggplant and tomatoes — eventually transplanting them from his greenhouse into rich Vermont soil, hoping for a bountiful fall harvest. Within a few hours last week, those hopes were washed away when flood waters inundated the small farm, destroying a harvest with a value he estimated at $250,000. He still hopes to replant short-season crops like mustard greens, spinach, bok choy and kale “The loss of the crops is a very tangible way to measure the flood, but the loss

Northeast floods devastate 'heartbroken' farmers as months of labor and crops are swept away
World

Rescue efforts have resumed in western India where a landslide killed at least 16 people

Rescue efforts resumed Friday after an overnight halt in India’s western Maharashtra state where a landslide triggered by torrential rains killed at least 16 people, with many others feared trapped under debris, officials said. Scores of rescuers and trained trekkers have been deployed to find people trapped by the landslide, which occurred late Wednesday night, the state’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted. Harsh weather conditions have hampered rescue efforts and authorities have sent in medical teams to help the injured, he added. Search operations were suspended on Thursday night due to heavy rainfall plus the

Rescue efforts have resumed in western India where a landslide killed at least 16 people
World

Sunak's Conservatives suffer big defeats but avoid a wipeout in trio of UK special elections

Britain’s governing Conservative Party avoided a drubbing Friday in a trio of special elections, managing to hold onto former premier Boris Johnson’s seat in suburban London. Though the main opposition Labour Party and the smaller centrist Liberal Democrats overturned massive Conservative majorities to win a seat apiece, the Conservatives found some crumbs of comfort in their narrow success in Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London. Labour won the seat of Selby and Ainsty in northern England while the Liberal Democrats took Somerton and Frome in southwest England, with voters from both parties clearly backing the party

Sunak's Conservatives suffer big defeats but avoid a wipeout in trio of UK special elections
World

Autocratic Cambodian leader paving way for son, a West Point graduate with PhD in economics, to rule

Cambodia’s Hun Sen has been his country’s autocratic prime minister for nearly four decades, during which the opposition has been stifled and the country has grown increasingly close to China. With his Cambodian People’s Party virtually guaranteed another landslide victory in this Sunday’s election, it’s hard to imagine dramatic change on the horizon. But the 70-year-old former communist Khmer Rouge fighter and Asia’s longest-serving leader says he is ready to hand the premiership to his oldest son, Hun Manet, a four-star general who heads the country’s army. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at

Autocratic Cambodian leader paving way for son, a West Point graduate with PhD in economics, to rule
World

Racist text scandal at Northern California police department at center of court hearing

A court hearing to determine whether Northern California police officers who traded racist text messages violated a state law aimed at eliminating racism in the criminal justice system adjourned Friday without any officers taking the stand to answer questions about the scandal that has roiled the San Francisco Bay Area city. Defense attorneys for four men charged with murder and attempted murder in a 2021 shooting had subpoenaed the Antioch police officers to testify about heavily redacted text messages made public in April by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office. The attorneys were expected to

Racist text scandal at Northern California police department at center of court hearing
World

By pulling out of the Ukrainian grain deal, Russia risks alienating its few remaining partners

By pulling out of a landmark deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a gamble that could badly damage Moscow’s relations with many of its partners that have stayed neutral or even been supportive of the Kremlin’s invasion of its neighbor. Russia also has played the role of spoiler at the United Nations, vetoing a resolution on extending humanitarian aid deliveries through a key border crossing in northwestern Syria and backing a push by Mali’s military junta to expel U.N. peacekeepers — abrupt moves that reflect Moscow’s readiness to raise the

By pulling out of the Ukrainian grain deal, Russia risks alienating its few remaining partners
World

Man with thousands of bullets and a grenade attacked police, killing officer. What was his plan?

It was a routine collision on a busy Fargo street. But after Mohamad Barakat drove past, armed with 1,800 rounds of ammunition, numerous firearms and a grenade, tragedy ensued. After the shooting ended on July 14, one police officer was dead, and two other officers as well as a woman in the crash were wounded, leaving authorities wondering what further carnage Barakat might have been planning. Officer Zach Robinson, the only officer in the melee who was not wounded, fatally shot Barakat with bystanders crouched nearby. More details are expected at a briefing Friday. Barakat, a

Man with thousands of bullets and a grenade attacked police, killing officer. What was his plan?
World

Alabama GOP proposals for second Black district are unlikely to win court approval, experts warn

Alabama lawmakers say they’re trying to satisfy a landmark Supreme Court order to draw a new district giving a voice to Black voters, but with hours to go before a court-ordered deadline Friday, experts say Republican proposals fall far short of what the law requires. The Republican-controlled state House and Senate will meet Friday and could advance separate plans increasing the share of Black voters in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. Legislative leaders say they intend to meet the deadline, meaning the two chambers must compromise on one plan. Both plans preserve the current Black majority of

Alabama GOP proposals for second Black district are unlikely to win court approval, experts warn
World

Propaganda tool? Bargaining chip? What North Korea may have in mind for Travis King

So what will North Korea do about the first U.S. soldier in decades to flee into its territory? Its official media have yet to mention Pvt. Travis King, there’s little precedent for his situation and guesses about the country’s next steps vary widely. Unauthorized crossings across the Koreas’ heavily fortified border are extremely rare. The few Americans who crossed into North Korea in the past were a few soldiers, missionaries, human rights advocates or those simply curious about one of the world’s most cloistered societies. North Korea has used a varied playbook in its handlings

Propaganda tool? Bargaining chip? What North Korea may have in mind for Travis King
World

Lake Tahoe officials tackle overtourism with focus on management, not marketing; new fees may loom

Lake Tahoe tourism officials were surprised, and a bit miffed, when a respected international travel guide put the iconic alpine lake straddling the California-Nevada line on its list of places to stay away from this year because of the harmful ecological effects of overtourism. But with an influx of visitors and new full-time residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic already forcing local leaders to revisit the decades-old conversation about overcrowding, “Fodor’s No List 2023” may have served as a wake-up call that some sort of change is necessary. “I can’t go to my own beaches

Lake Tahoe officials tackle overtourism with focus on management, not marketing; new fees may loom
World

Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed as investors weigh weakness in the tech sector

Shares were mixed Friday in Asia after the latest rally on Wall Street fizzled, with big declines for Tesla, Netflix and other big tech-oriented stocks. Hong Kong, Seoul and Bangkok advanced while Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney declined. U.S. futures edged higher and oil prices also climbed. Taiwan’s Taiex 0.8% fell after TSMC, the world’s biggest manufacturer of computer chips, said it expects its sales to fall 10% this year as demand wanes. It also said it would not meet a 2024 target for starting production at a factory under construction in Arizona. TSMC’s shares fell 3.1%. Japan

Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed as investors weigh weakness in the tech sector
World

Attention turns to Mega Millions after California store sells winning Powerball ticket

Lottery dreamers are setting their sights on the growing Mega Millions jackpot drawing on Friday after a ticket worth more than $1 billion was sold for the Powerball lottery. Here’s a look at how this drawing compares to other jackpots and why these winnings have become so high. HOW DOES THIS LATEST MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT STACK UP? The new jackpot for the Mega Millions drawing has reached an estimated $720 million, making it the game’s fifth highest. It hasn’t yet broken into the top 10 highest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, though. If someone picks all five numbers, plus the

Attention turns to Mega Millions after California store sells winning Powerball ticket
World

After decades of struggle for a place in Israel, dozens of Black Hebrews face threat of deportation

For two years, Toveet Israel and dozens of other residents of the Village of Peace have lived in fear. Dimona, a city on the edge of the nation of Israel’s Negev Desert, has been her home for 24 years. Her eight children were born here and know no other country. Now, she and 44 other undocumented members of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem face deportation. Receiving the order to leave two years ago was a “moment of disbelief” for Israel, 53. “I feel like the government has been merciless to me and my children,” she

After decades of struggle for a place in Israel, dozens of Black Hebrews face threat of deportation
World

Spain conservatives entrust Feijóo, the boring guy who wins every election by a landslide

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the conservative politician who polls suggest is poised to become Spain’s next prime minister, likes to recall that at heart, he is just a mild-mannered “village boy” from the country’s rural northwest. A humble, forthright, even boring guy, as he likes to describe himself. The conservative Popular Party candidate for Sunday’s general election is mostly unknown outside Spain, but he has been the country’s most solid regional leader so far this century and has never lost an election. Feijóo was a political steamroller during the 13 years in which he governed Spain’s northwestern

Spain conservatives entrust Feijóo, the boring guy who wins every election by a landslide
World

U.S. second gentleman Emhoff meets New Zealand's Ardern to discuss online hate as World Cup begins

Doug Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, met with former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Friday to discuss ways to combat online hate and extremism. Emhoff was in Auckland to lead a delegation to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and meet with officials. He told a meeting of the Christchurch Call the world was witnessing a “global epidemic of hate.” Emhoff, who is Jewish, said he was “working against this scourge of anti-Semitism and this epidemic of hate in general. So this work is very, very personal to me.” “But my

U.S. second gentleman Emhoff meets New Zealand's Ardern to discuss online hate as World Cup begins
World

Muslim-majority nations express outrage and plan street protests over Quran desecration in Sweden

Muslim-majority nations expressed outrage Friday at the desecration of a copy of the Quran in Sweden. Some prepared for street demonstrations following midday prayers to show their anger. In Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, protesters planned demonstrations after Swedish police permitted a protest Thursday in which an Iraqi Christian living in Stockholm kicked and stood on a Quran, Islam’s holy book, outside of the Iraqi Embassy. Hours before that, demonstrators in Baghdad broke into the Swedish Embassy and lit a fire to show their anger at his threats to burn the book. Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani has

Muslim-majority nations express outrage and plan street protests over Quran desecration in Sweden
World

'Lioness' on the loose? More experts join police in second-day search for elusive animal

Experts on animal tracks joined the hunt Friday for an elusive and potentially dangerous animal — suspected to be a lioness — spotted on the edge of Berlin as the search stretched into a second day, authorities said. Police used helicopters, drones and infrared cameras to search for the animal, with a vet and hunters also part of the effort. They were first alerted to the animal in Kleinmachnow, just outside Berlin’s city limits, around midnight on Wednesday when people reported what appeared to be a big cat chasing a wild boar. The informants also provided a

'Lioness' on the loose? More experts join police in second-day search for elusive animal
World

2 men killed in New Zealand shooting were co-workers of gunman, who had violent past

The two men who were killed at a New Zealand construction site were in their 40s and had worked alongside the gunman before he went on his rampage, police said Friday. Court records also detailed the gunman’s violent past. New Zealanders were still in shock at Thursday’s shooting, which closed part of downtown hours before the opening game of the Women’s World Cup soccer tournament, which was held under increased security. The gunman stormed the high-rise building in the early morning, opening fire on terrified workers before dying after a police shootout. An officer who

2 men killed in New Zealand shooting were co-workers of gunman, who had violent past
World

Live updates | Rain and wind greet Day 2 of British Open

Goodbye, sun. Hello, traditional British Open weather. Thick clouds, wind and a few rain drops greeted the second round at Royal Liverpool on Friday. The demanding test remains the same. Emiliano Grillo, Tommy Fleetwood and South African amateur Christo Lamprecht shared the lead at 5-under 66. Grillo was the only one playing in the morning. The wind is typical, and so is the rain this year. The test after one day is the bunkers. They must be avoided at all costs. Rory McIlroy also plays in the morning. He

Live updates | Rain and wind greet Day 2 of British Open
World

Thousands march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to protest Israeli government's judicial overhaul plan

Thousands of Israelis joined a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Friday in the latest protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to push through a controversial overhaul of the judiciary system. Hundreds of protesters became thousands as Israelis joined the 70-kilometer (roughly 45-mile) march throughout the day in a demonstration against one of Israel’s most far-right governments in history. The demonstrators planned to camp overnight at Shoresh, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Jerusalem, before making their way to Israel’s parliament on Saturday, the Jewish holy day of Shabbat. The march comes a day after

Thousands march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to protest Israeli government's judicial overhaul plan

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