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Today: January 20, 2025
Today: January 20, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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World

Swedish appeals court ups surgeon's sentence for 'harm' during experimental windpipe transplants

A Swedish appeals court on Wednesday increased a prison sentence for an Italian surgeon over experimental stem cell windpipe transplants on three patients who died. Dr. Paolo Macchiarini made headlines in 2011 for carrying out the world’s first stem cell windpipe transplants at Sweden’s leading hospital and had been sentenced to no prison time by a lower court. But the Svea Court of Appeal concluded that there were no emergency situations among two of the three patients who later died, while the procedure on the third could not be justified. The appeals court sentenced the Italian scientist

Swedish appeals court ups surgeon's sentence for 'harm' during experimental windpipe transplants
World

North Carolina prosecutor won't charge officers involved in death of man during arrest

A local prosecutor revealed Wednesday that she won’t seek charges against officers in North Carolina’s capital city who repeatedly used stun guns on a man who subsequently died, saying evidence reviewed fails to show the use of force was unreasonable. Several Raleigh police officers were placed on administrative leave following the Jan. 17 death of 32-year-old Darryl Tyree Williams. They were trying to arrest Williams around 2 a.m. for possession of a controlled substance in a parking lot where a sweepstakes parlor and several closed business were located. The State Bureau of Investigation looked into what

North Carolina prosecutor won't charge officers involved in death of man during arrest
World

Germany frees driver sought by Italy in death of cyclist Rebellin pending extradition ruling

German prosecutors say a truck driver wanted by Italy in connection with a crash last year that killed professional cyclist Davide Rebellin has been released from jail pending a decision on his extradition. Wolfgang Rieke is accused of road homicide and leaving the scene of a crash. German authorities said he surrendered last Thursday in the western town of Rheine. A spokesperson for the regional prosecutors’ office in Hamm, Daniel Dependahl, said the driver’s release was normal in cases in which there is no flight risk. It didn’t prejudge the extradition decision, which could take several months,

Germany frees driver sought by Italy in death of cyclist Rebellin pending extradition ruling
World

Hong Kong pollster plans to limit questions on sensitive topics, including Tiananmen crackdown

One of Hong Kong’s most reputable sources for public opinion data is limiting its survey scope, including on sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen crackdown. The change, on the heels of a risk assessment done by the government, would likely muffle access to information showing changes in public sentiment toward the city. Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute announced Tuesday it tentatively decided to cancel about one-fourth of its regular survey questions, and use about one-third of the remaining ones only for internal reference, academic research, and commissioned services, rather than releasing them for public use.

Hong Kong pollster plans to limit questions on sensitive topics, including Tiananmen crackdown
World

Live updates | Search for the missing Titanic submersible

Follow along for live updates on the submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. ____ ‘DESPERATE SITUATION:’ SCIENTISTS, WHILE REALISTIC ABOUT SURVIVAL CHANCES, OFFER HOPE Scientists, while remaining realistic about the chances of finding the Titan on the vast ocean floor, are still offering a glimmer of hope. Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist with the British Antarctic Survey, said in London on Thursday that it’s incredibly difficult to find an object the size of the Titan in a totally dark environment. He says it’s not going to be found with active sonar from

Live updates | Search for the missing Titanic submersible
World

Saudi Arabia's lavish recruitment drive rolls on despite Messi miss

Missing out on Lionel Messi hasn’t slowed Saudi Arabia’s ambitious recruitment drive as the oil-rich kingdom tries to establish itself as a viable destination for the world’s top players. Having already lured two of the sport’s biggest stars in Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, the Saudis amid allegations of sportswashing are targeting a host of other high-profile players from Europe’s best leagues. World Cup and Champions League winner N’Golo Kante became the latest stellar player to head to the lucrative Pro League, signing a three-year contract Wednesday to team up with Benzema at Al-Ittihad. “It is

Saudi Arabia's lavish recruitment drive rolls on despite Messi miss
World

Saudi Arabia's lavish recruitment drive rolls on despite Messi miss

Missing out on Lionel Messi hasn’t slowed Saudi Arabia’s ambitious recruitment drive as the oil-rich kingdom tries to establish itself as a viable destination for the world’s top players. Having already lured two of the sport’s biggest stars in Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, the Saudis amid allegations of sportswashing are targeting a host of other high-profile players from Europe’s best leagues. World Cup and Champions League winner N’Golo Kante became the latest stellar player to head to the lucrative Pro League, signing a three-year contract Wednesday to team up with Benzema at Al-Ittihad. “It is

Saudi Arabia's lavish recruitment drive rolls on despite Messi miss
Political

Capitol rioter who shocked police officer with stun gun is sentenced to over 12 years in prison

A California man who drove a stun gun into a police officer’s neck during one of the most violent clashes of the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Wednesday to more than 12 years in prison. Daniel “D.J.” Rodriguez yelled, “Trump won!” as he was led out of the courtroom where U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 12 years and seven months behind bars for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. Only two other Jan. 6 defendants have received longer prison terms so far after hundreds of sentencings for Capitol riot cases.

Capitol rioter who shocked police officer with stun gun is sentenced to over 12 years in prison
Health

Meat grown from animal cells? Here's what it is and how it's made

The U.S. government is allowing the sale of chicken made from animal cells. California companies Upside Foods and Good Meat were granted permission on Wednesday to sell their products by the Agriculture Department. Livestock doesn’t need to be raised and killed to produce this new type of meat, which proponents say is better for the animals and for the environment because land does not need to be cleared for grazing or growing feed. Currently, the U.S. uses over 1 billion acres of land for agriculture, or just over half of total land — the majority of which is used for

Meat grown from animal cells? Here's what it is and how it's made
Science

Proposed Minnesota nickel mine begins environmental review, would supply Tesla if approved

Talon Metals Corp. filed papers with Minnesota regulators Wednesday to launch the environmental review process for its proposed underground nickel mine near the northern town of Tamarack, which would supply nickel to Tesla for electric car batteries. The Department of Energy has already given the project a $114 million grant to build an ore processing plant in North Dakota, part of the Biden administration’s efforts to boost domestic production of nickel, lithium and other metals needed for electric vehicles and the fight against climate change. That funding contrasts with the administration’s efforts to kill another proposed mining

Proposed Minnesota nickel mine begins environmental review, would supply Tesla if approved
Political

Pentagon documents leak suspect Guardsman Jack Teixeira is due back in court on federal charges

The Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of leaking highly classified military documents is due back in court on Wednesday after being indicted on federal felony charges. Jack Teixeira is scheduled to be arraigned in the Worcester federal court on six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Teixeira, of North Dighton, has been behind bars since his April arrest on charges stemming from the most consequential intelligence leak in years. He was indicted by a grand jury last week. Teixeira is accused of sharing classified military documents about Russia’s war in Ukraine and other national security

Pentagon documents leak suspect Guardsman Jack Teixeira is due back in court on federal charges
Arts

Television veteran Geraldo Rivera says he's quitting Fox News' political combat show 'The Five'

Geraldo Rivera has quit as one of the lonely liberal voices on Fox News’ popular political combat show “The Five,” saying Wednesday that “a growing tension that goes beyond editorial differences” made it no longer worth it to him. The last scheduled appearance on “The Five” for the television veteran, whose 80th birthday is on July 4, is next week. “It has been a rocky ride but it has also been an exhilarating adventure that spanned quite a few years,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. “I hope it’s not my

Television veteran Geraldo Rivera says he's quitting Fox News' political combat show 'The Five'
World

Brazil's Lula sees Pope Francis in 'very friendly' encounter on busy day in Rome

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva threw his arms around Pope Francis and gave him a big hug as he arrived Wednesday for what the Vatican said was a “very friendly” reunion of two old friends. The Argentine pope seemed in particularly good spirits as he hosted Lula for around 45 minutes, just days after getting out of the hospital following abdominal surgery. Standing up, Francis presented Lula with a brass plaque of a flower entitled “Peace is a fragile flower.” Francis told the Brazilian leader: “We’re in a time of war; peace is very fragile.”

Brazil's Lula sees Pope Francis in 'very friendly' encounter on busy day in Rome
World

Foundations buoy a new movement of renters’ activism

After years of rising rents, a group of Kansas City, Missouri, renters came together in 2019 to form KC Tenants, armed with an annual budget of $30,000 and demands for a bill of rights to protect renters from rising prices, unjust evictions, and landlord abuse. Four years and one pandemic later, KC Tenants is a nonprofit tenants union with a budget that grew almost twentyfold and a track record of advocacy victories. For instance, the group got its bill of rights enacted by the city and is working to make sure all tenants have the right to a lawyer when

Foundations buoy a new movement of renters’ activism
World

Homicide detective weeps in trial of deputy who failed to confront Parkland high school shooter

The veteran Florida detective who led the investigation into the 2018 Parkland high school massacre wept on the witness stand Wednesday, saying the school’s assigned deputy could have prevented the deaths of some of the 17 people murdered if he had charged into a building instead of taking cover. Broward County Detective John Curcio, a homicide detective for 25 years and the prosecution’s final witness, had been on the stand for two hours when a prosecutor asked him what Deputy Scot Peterson’s objective should have been during Nikolas Cruz’s six-minute attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Homicide detective weeps in trial of deputy who failed to confront Parkland high school shooter
Political

Justice Alito accepted Alaska resort vacation from GOP donors, report says

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted a 2008 trip to a luxury fishing lodge in Alaska from two wealthy Republican donors, one of whom repeatedly had interests before the court, and he did not disclose the trips on his financial disclosure for that year, ProPublica reports. A story published Wednesday by the nonprofit investigative journalism organization states that in July 2008 Alito flew to a remote corner of Alaska aboard the private plane of businessman and Republican donor, Paul Singer. A hedge fund founded by the billionaire has brought roughly a dozen cases before the court since

Justice Alito accepted Alaska resort vacation from GOP donors, report says
World

Biden's 3 Federal Reserve nominees appear likely to win Senate approval

President Joe Biden’s three nominees for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors pledged to fight inflation during a confirmation hearing Wednesday that drew only modest pushback from Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee. Last month, Biden nominated Adriana Kugler, a Georgetown University economist, to serve as a Fed governor, a position that would make her the first Latina to serve on the board in the Fed’s 110-year history. He also nominated Philip Jefferson, who joined the board last year, for the spot of vice chair, which was vacated by Lael Brainard when she became a top

Biden's 3 Federal Reserve nominees appear likely to win Senate approval
World

With Wembanyama a player like few others, there's no debate at the top of this NBA draft

Victor Wembanyama walked into his first NBA news conference Wednesday morning, took his seat and looked out at a maze of cameras and microphones that have been awaiting him for years. And then he smiled. “What’s up, everyone?” the French teen said. Seeming poised and completely ready for what awaits him, Wembanyama’s NBA chapter is now underway. The NBA draft — one that Wembanyama’s towering shadow has hung over for months, blocking much of what is usually part of the process — is Thursday night, and he’ll be selected No. 1 overall by the San Antonio

With Wembanyama a player like few others, there's no debate at the top of this NBA draft
Economy

Heists Worth Billions: An investigation found criminal gangs using sham bank accounts and secret online marketplaces to steal from almost anyone – and little being done to combat the fraud

In January 2020, Debi Gamber studied a computer screen filled with information on scores of check deposits. As a manager for eight years at a TD Bank branch in the Baltimore suburb of Essex, she had reviewed a flurry of account activity as a security measure. These transactions, though, from the ATM of a tiny TD location nestled in a nearby mall, struck her as suspicious. Time and again, Gamber saw that these checks were payable to churches – many states away from the Silver Spring shopping center branch – yet had been deposited into personal accounts, a potential sign

Heists Worth Billions: An investigation found criminal gangs using sham bank accounts and secret online marketplaces to steal from almost anyone – and little being done to combat the fraud
Economy

Behind the scenes of the investigation: Heists Worth Billions

David Maimon’s cybersecurity research group noticed a flood of checks in underground markets, which opened a window into much broader criminal activity. Collage by Kimberly Patch Professor David Maimon is director of the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group at Georgia State University. He and his group are well familiar with what happens on the dark web, which consists of websites that look like ordinary websites but can be reached only using special browsers or authorization codes and are often used to sell illegal commodities. In this behind-the-story video, Maimon shows some of the hundreds of thousands of bank-related images that he

Behind the scenes of the investigation: Heists Worth Billions
Economy

Behind the scenes of the investigation: Heists Worth Billions

David Maimon’s cybersecurity research group noticed a flood of checks in underground markets, which opened a window into much broader criminal activity. Collage by Kimberly Patch Professor David Maimon is director of the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group at Georgia State University. He and his group are well familiar with what happens on the dark web, which consists of websites that look like ordinary websites but can be reached only using special browsers or authorization codes and are often used to sell illegal commodities. In this behind-the-story video, Maimon shows some of the hundreds of thousands of bank-related images that he

Behind the scenes of the investigation: Heists Worth Billions
World

Outlook bleak for passengers on the Titan, despite massive rescue effort

Time is quickly running out in the search for a missing submersible that lost contact with its mother ship on Sunday as it descended to the wreck of the Titanic with five people aboard. As an international fleet of surveillance vessels and aircraft forges ahead with ongoing search and rescue efforts, each passing second makes it less likely that the passengers on the Titan will be found alive as their oxygen supply is expected to run out by Thursday morning. Even if the Titan is located in the North Atlantic, it could be nearly impossible to reach

Outlook bleak for passengers on the Titan, despite massive rescue effort
World

Rules allow transgender woman at Wyoming chapter, and a court can't interfere, sorority says

A national sorority has defended allowing a transgender woman into its University of Wyoming chapter, saying in a new court motion that the chapter followed sorority rules despite a lawsuit from seven women in the organization who argued the opposite. Seven members of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Wyoming’s only four-year state university sued in March, saying the sorority violated its own rules by admitting Artemis Langford last year. Six of the women refiled the lawsuit in May after a judge twice barred them from suing anonymously. The Kappa Kappa Gamma motion to dismiss, filed Tuesday in

Rules allow transgender woman at Wyoming chapter, and a court can't interfere, sorority says
World

4-time World Cup champion Germany has forgotten how to win games a year before hosting Euro 2024

Perhaps the only positive Germany can draw from its national soccer team’s deepening crisis is that the 2024 European Championship is still a year away. Even if few believe it anymore, Germany coach Hansi Flick insists that is enough time to turn things around before hosting the tournament. Flick struggled to justify his conviction late Tuesday after the latest disappointing performance — a 2-0 loss to Colombia that saw his team whistled off at halftime and again at the end. “With the results, what can I say?” Flick said. “The arguments are not on our side.” Some

4-time World Cup champion Germany has forgotten how to win games a year before hosting Euro 2024
World

4-time World Cup champion Germany has forgotten how to win games a year before hosting Euro 2024

Perhaps the only positive Germany can draw from its national soccer team’s deepening crisis is that the 2024 European Championship is still a year away. Even if few believe it anymore, Germany coach Hansi Flick insists that is enough time to turn things around before hosting the tournament. Flick struggled to justify his conviction late Tuesday after the latest disappointing performance — a 2-0 loss to Colombia that saw his team whistled off at halftime and again at the end. “With the results, what can I say?” Flick said. “The arguments are not on our side.” Some

4-time World Cup champion Germany has forgotten how to win games a year before hosting Euro 2024

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